So just what is the art of outdoor living? It’s comfortable elegance. It’s casual living as an art form. It’s the concept of home as a collection of beautiful, comfortable outdoor rooms surrounded by breathtaking landscaping – with just enough house for in case of rain. This scrumptious gem secreted in the hills above Santa… Read More
Happy 2020! May it be a decade filled with joy and adventure! As the last few months of the twenty-teens sped by, we began thinking of how we would like to usher out the old decade and welcome in the new. “What better than a bucket-list adventure?” we thought. And so it was that last… Read More
We don’t often think of a natural disaster as being a thing of random chance. But a visit to Montecito after the debris flow of January 9, 2018 proves it to be just that. Broad swaths of entire neighborhoods were destroyed in one fell swoop, leaving post-apocalyptic scenes as far as the eye could… Read More
On January 9, 2018 massive debris flows came barreling down the slopes above Montecito, devastating the community of nearly 9,000 inhabitants. In a matter of moments, 23 people lost their lives and over 400 homes, 33 commercial structures and 92 outbuildings were destroyed or damaged. This site was covered in three to five feet of… Read More
We hear about disasters around the globe on a daily basis, but it’s hard to imagine that such devastation will ever hit so close to home. In early December 2017, the Thomas Fire swept through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties to become the second largest fire in California history. On January 9, 2018, before the… Read More
Our Padaro Lane project takes Silver at the 2018 APLD International Landscape Design Awards! Location, location, location, right? This house definitely had that… and more! Filled with light, right on the sand, breath-taking views of the Pacific Ocean – It’s the perfect weekend getaway! However, a crucial element was missing – a connection to the beach!… Read More
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to the body and soul.” … Read More
In my last post I boasted of being named 2018 Designer of the Year by the APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers) – the highest honor in our industry. For our very own garden in Sycamore Canyon, no less! Since then, I’ve learned that our Sea Cliff project not only won a Gold Award, but it… Read More
I’m usually not one to toot my own horn… but just had to share the latest news! The International Association of Professional Landscape Designers (ALPD) has named moi, Margie Grace, 2018 Designer of the Year – the highest honor in our industry. It was actually a bumper crop of APLD awards this year… All told, Grace Design… Read More
I don’t want this to come off as a rant… but time and time again we roll up on a situation in the garden. Something we really, really wish had never been born — or had been drowned at birth. I’m talking about irrigation gear installed loud and proud right at the front door or… Read More